Hey Roomie

Chapter 1

   "Larissa! Don't you dare leave without saying goodbye!"

   "Okay Grams!" I called back. I jogged back down the steps with my bags in hand. When I reached her, my grandma had tears in her eyes. "Oh, Grams! Please don't cry!" I smiled. She shook her head and I gave her a tight hug, trying not to let some tears spill myself.

   "It's just," she hiccuped, now crying with an intensity I didn't expect. "My baby is all grown up!" she sobbed. I rolled my eyes and laughed nonchalantly, trying to make her feel better.

   "Do you know how many movies use that line?" I asked her. I shook my head and the waterworks finally came. "Looks like my dam has a leak." I noted, wiping them away. Now it was my Gram's turn to be the comforter. We sat for a minute, tenderly clutching each other, not wanting to let go. "Gram?" I finally said. She looked at me, only pulling back slightly, hesitant to do so.

   "Yes, Larissa?" she asked. Now I knew just how upset she was. My grandma never called me by my first name. This would be an example of the rare occasions during which she did. I noticed the black hair, gray hairs poking through at the roots, spilling over her shoulders and her back. I also noticed the wrinkles her face held, but they were wrinkles from laughter and smiling. Some might have said "Facelift.", but I said "Beautiful." She laughed shakily.

   "Now you know where you got it from!" she replied playfully. She pinched the dimples on my cheeks as I giggled, thinking back to when I was young. "Gosh I'm gonna miss you!"

   "I'll miss you too..." I replied. we stood for a moment, looking into each other's eyes, seeming to speak silently. It was my grandma who broke the silence first.

   "You should go pick up David. that dweeb will be bouncing from the walls if you're late." She said, punching me in the shoulder delicately.

   "Probably!" I laughed. I brought my last two bags to my car and turned the keys in the ignition, my grandmother right behind. She didn't miss a beat.

   "Don't forget to call every day!"

   "I will!"

   "Call before you go to bed too!"

   "Okay Grams!"

   "Don't get into trouble!"

   "That's why I can shoot a gun!"

   "Larissa! Tell me you're not taking a firearm to college!"

   "No!"

   "I love you!"

   "I love you too!"

   And then I was off to college! I had to pick David up, but after a couple of lefts and rights I was there. Andrew lives several minutes from my house, and he makes a habit of showing up at my house randomly. I pulled my car up to the side up the road by his house and honked my horn. He rushed out with about five bags in hand, definitely struggling.

   "Hustle and bustle!" I hollered as he swayed up to the car. I unlocked the door and he threw his bags into the backseat with mine. Then, he held up a pointer finger.

   "One more minute!" he promised.

   "How many more bags?"

   "Five!"

   "Tick-tock!" I yelled after him. He laughed and jumped back through his front door. In record time, he was back with five more bags in tow. He hobbled down the steps and into the driveway, yelling things over his shoulder to his mother. He then nodded goodbye to her, not being able to wave. He shoved the last of his bags into my car. "Beep beep mother trucker!" I called as he ran to the passenger side. He hopped in and made a heart with his hands to his mother. I let the car glide down the road, allowing him to say a final goodbye without his luggage in the way. David could be quite graceful when unhindered, but he could also be quite clumsy. It really depended on the day.